Ready to move to Portugal ? Before doing anything, you will need to get the precious NIF, without this NIF you cannot do anything in Portugal. The NIF in Portugal is a really important. What is this famous NIF ? Why do you need NIF in Portugal ? How do I get a NIF in Portugal ? How can I make money with the NIF ? You have been asking me these questions many times and today I am replying to you in this article.

What is the NIF in Portugal ?

The NIF : Número de Identificação Fiscal also called “número de contribuinte” is the Portuguese tax identification number.

It is based on 9 digits and all people living in Portugal, local and foreign, must have it.

It will probably be the first thing you need to do when you move to Portugal and without it you will be blocked for all administrative procedures in Portugal.

NIF in Portugal

Why do I need a NIF in Portugal ?  

It is impossible to make an exhaustive list, but as previously mentioned, this number is really a key :

> For administrative procedures:

• To rent a property,
• To buy a property,
• To sell a property,
• To open a bank account,
• To create a company,
• To pay your taxes,
• To make your employment contract,
• To buy a car,
• To take various subscriptions,
• …

> To obtain tax reductions according to your expenses : I will tell you more about this later in the article.

Loja do cidadão

How to get the NIF in Portugal ?

To get a NIF you need to have an address in Portugal, but to have an address, you need a home, and to have a home, you need a NIF. As you can see, it is finally not very easy. There are two solutions available to you:

• Option 1: be represented by someone

Ask a person who is a fiscal resident in Portugal. This tax “representative” will go to the Finanças (Autoridade Tributária e Aduaneira) in the aim you can obtain a provisional NIF that will allow you to sign the purchase or rental of your property in Portugal. In this case, you will need to provide the following documents to obtain your NIF : a valid passport, proof of residence from your country of origin (invoices…) and the deed of appointment of your Tax Representative in Portugal.

Then, you can proceed and buy or rent your property in Portugal with this provisional NIF.

Finally, once you have your address in Portugal. Go to the Loja do Cidadão closest to your address (the one you will depend on) in order to obtain your definitive Portuguese NIF.

• Option 2 : the European residence certificate

Go to a Loja do Cidadão to obtain a European residence certificate.

Once this certificate is obtained, go to the Finanças to obtain a provisional NIF.

With this provisional NIF, buy or rent your home in Portugal.

Once you have obtained your accommodation and address in Portugal, you must return to the Loja do Cidadão closest to your accommodation to obtain a certificate of residence in Portugal.

Finally, return to the Finanças to apply for your definitive NIF with your certificate of residence.

In the context of the pandemic, the “Lojas do Cidadão” are now re-opened but only by appointment. So please make an appointment before going there. The list of Lojas do Cidadão and Finanças here.

• Option 3 : to pay a lawyer in Portugal who can create your NIF for you

How to make money with NIF in Portugal ?

“Quer contribuinte na fatura?” – everywhere you will pay in Portugal, the cashier will ask you this question : at the restaurant, at the grocery store, in the shops… It’s to know if you want your tax number to be mentioned on your ticket. But why put the NIF on your invoice / receipt ?

In Portugal, you can get tax reductions depending on your expenses. You can get back up to €250 per category of spendings. Among the categories we find for example : catering, transport, shopping … This sum to be recovered can be important after one year and will be deducted from your taxes. Knowing that the taxes in Portugal are deducted at source, it is therefore possible that the Portuguese State will give you money back as a result of the expenses you have made throughout the year.

On the other hand, to encourage people to ask for a bill and to fight against the black market, the Portuguese government created a lottery with the bill numbers, they call it “fatura da sorte” (the bill of luck). So the bills are drawn and the winners get money or cars.

Fatura da Sorte

Conclusion

As you can see, getting your NIF if you move to Portugal is really really important. Obviously this is not the only administrative step you will have to do but it is probably the first one to do and the most important. For more information about NIF, here is the official Portuguese website: https://eportugal.gov.pt

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